Hook Ups on the Columbia

I haven't had time to hit the Columbia river for awhile so I took a quick trip down on Christmas Eve morning. Went and swung a couple of spots below the dam that have been good producers in the past. I tied on a Black Twisted Bugger and after the third swing I had a hook up. Didn't feel like a steelhead but gave a good couple of head shakes and was gone. After about 30 minutes of no action, I hooked up again. After a soft fight I landed triploid rainbow, in the 6lb range.

I packed up and took a 15 minute drive further down river. on the fourth swing I hooked up, no mistaking that this was a steelhead. This red side came out of the water 3 times and made a few strong runs, that made me have to chase down river after him.  About 15 minutes later I had a nice wild buck in the shallow water I was standing in.

There is some good swing water below both Wells and Chief Joseph dams. You will find the fish in close to shore, making them easy to swing to. The size of the Columbia up here might not look like fly fishable water from shore, but if you put your time in and do some exploring you will be in for a real treat.

Good luck out there, Keith